Memoirs of Missionary Priests and Other Catholics of Both Sexes, that Have Suffered Death in England on Religious Accounts from the Year 1577 to 1684

most famous martyrs, by father Lewis de Granada, in his catechism; and by Bozius, the learned orotorian, in his excellent work de Signis Ecclesiæ, lib. 12. sect. 517. they are likewise mentioned with the highest honour by Cardinal Baronius, in his annotations upon the Roman martyrologie, Dec. 29. It is true the apostolic see has not as yet thought fit, by any solemn decree, to declare them martyrs; yet has not been entirely silent in their regard. Gregory XIII. as we learn from the bishop of Tarrasona, in his history of the English Persecution, 1. 2. c. 5. allowed in 1582, their relics to be used in the consecration of altars and his successor,* Sixtus V. in his bull, which begins, afflicte & crudeliter vexate anglorum reliquiæ, directed to the whole church, as an exhortation to assist the college, then residing at Rhemes, makes an honourable mention of them as glorious martyrs. Paul V. also allowed the same college to sing a solemn mass of thanksgiving upon occasion of the death of any one of the priests executed in England for religion; and a plenary indulgence to such as having confessed and received were present at that mass. To say nothing of other grants of the same nature made to other colleges and convents.

Some will perhaps be surprized to find in these memoirs such frequent mention of the racking and torturing of priests, and others, that suffered in queen Elizabeth's reign; because these things are not usual. in this kingdom, nor supposed to be agreeable to our laws. I am not lawyer enough to decide how far these violences may be justifiable by our constitution; certain it is they are not now in use: but we must be utterly strangers to the history of that reign, and must contradict all kinds of monuments, and innumerable cotemporary writers, if we deny that they were in use in those times. This is what Cecil himself, in his book, intitled, The Execution of Justice in England, written in vindication of the proceedings of the government against catholics, offers not to deny, though he would have his reader believe, that these rackings were not for matters of religion, but treason; and were not so severe as catholics pretended: but Cardinal Allen, in his Sincere and Modest Defence of the suffering Catholics, written in answer to the aforesaid book, confutes both these assertions, p. 10, 11, &c. whose words I shall here set down :

The place serveth here to say somewhat of their racking of catholics; which they would have strangers believe never to be done for any point of religion. As for example (say they, in the addition to the end of the libel) none is asked by torture, what he believeth of the mass, or of transubstantiation, or such like. Whereas, indeed, it no 'less concerneth religion, to demand and press us by torture to declare, where, in whose houses, what days and times, we say or hear mass· how many we have reconciled; what we have heard in confession; wha "resort to our preachings; who harbour catholics and priests; where such a jesuit, or such a priest, is to be found; where catholic books are 'printed, &c. which things being demanded of evil intent, and to the

* Sixtus V. Bulla afflictæ, &c. ex sancto illo anglorum seminario multos fere quotidie prodire audimus, qui deo juvante in Angliam ad confirmandos catholicorum animos redeuntes, gloriosis, & apud posteros quoque illustribus futuris martyris, suam erga catholicam fidem, & hanc sanctam sedem devotionem usque ad sanguinis & spiritus effusionem testentur.' Bullar. t. 2, p. 346.

annoyance of the catholic cause, of God's priests, and of innocent men; no man may, by the law of God and nature, disclose, &c.

Yet these were the interrogatories for which the famous confessor Mr. Briant was tormented with needles thrust under his nails; racked ⚫ also otherwise in cruel sort, and especially punished by two whole days ' and nights famine, &c. The like demands were put to the blessed martyrs, Campion, Sherwine, and others upon the torture; and of this latter, was asked, where Father Parsons and Campion were; and whether he had said mass in Mr. Roscarock's chamber; and what money he had given him. Mr. Thomson, a venerable and learned priest, was put to torments, only to get out of him to what end he kept certain portable altars, and where he intended to bestow them. And the young man, Carter, was examined upon the rack; upon 'what gentleman, or catholic ladies, he had bestowed, or intended to bestow, certain books of prayers, and spiritual exercises and medita'tions, which he had in his custody; which may suffice to refute the ⚫ adversaries' asseveration; that none have been tormented for other matter • than treason.

But the words of Mr. Thomas Cottam uttered, in sense, at the bar, and thus verbatim left in writing, discover the case more plainly, &c. Thus therefore he spoke and avouched openly in the presence of 'the rack-masters; indeed, quoth he, you are searchers of secrets; " for you would needs know of me, what penance I was enjoined, by my ghostly father, for my sins committed; and I acknowledge my frailty, that, to avoid the intolerable torment of the rack, I confessed, 'God forgive me, what they demanded therein. But when they fur⚫ther urged me to utter also what my sins were, for which that penance was enjoined me; I then answered, that I would not disclose my offences, saving to God and to my ghostly father alone. Whereupon, they sore tormented me, and still pressed me with the same demand; and I persisted, that it was a most barbarous and inhuman question; and that I would not answer, though they tormented me to death.

Thus spoke Mr. Cottam at his arraignment, wherewith the ene'mies being ashamed, the lieutenant of the tower, there present, began 'to deny the whole whereunto Mr. Cottam replied again thus; and is not this true? Here is present Dr. Hammond, with the rest of the 'commissioners that were at my racking; to whose consciences I appeal, God is my witness, that it is most true; and you know that Sir George Carie did ask me those unnatural questions, deny it if you can. 'As for the moderation which, by your libel, you would have the ' world believe, her majesty's ministers have ever used in giving the ' torment to the persons aforesaid, and to other catholics: the poor inno'cents have felt it, and our Lord God knoweth the contrary, &c. Look in your records what suspicion of treasons, or great matters, you could I have in young Sherwood, who was the first in our memory that was I put to the rack for matters of conscience, when no man dreamed of any of these new-feigned conspiracies.

'How often have you, by famine and filthy dungeons, tormented the happy young confessor Mr. John Hart; which could not now be, * after his condemnation, for any thing else but for his religion; and ' because he would not yield to one Reinolds, a minister, with whom

you appointed him to confer? For what other cause did you threaten the torture to Mr. Osburne, but to make him confess that he had said mass before the true noble confessors of Christ, my lord Vaux, and • Sir Thomas Tresham? &c. We speak nothing of the pitiful extremities. you have brought divers unto by horrible fetters, stocks, dungeons, famine, Thomson, Borschoe, Henslow, Clifton," or of the death ' of well near twenty happy catholics, at once infected and pestered ' in York prison, &c. Of all which inhuman dealing we will not impeach the superior magistrate, much less the sovereign: but surely. 'the inferior ministers of that pretended justice cannot be excused of ' most cruel and sacrilegious dealing towards God's priests, and other 'innocent persons.

And as for the particular handling of Father Campion and Mr. Briant (whom the libellers make example of their mild and gentle 6 entertainment upon the torture) we refer all indifferent readers to the ' said Briant's own Latin epistle of that matter: and for the other, "Father Campion," they say true, indeed, that after his first racking, and at the time of the protestants' disputes with him in the Tower, he was not so bereaved of his hands, but he might, with pain, write or subscribe his name: but afterwards, upon his second or third racking, ' he was so benumbed that he could neither take the cup and lift it to his 'mouth, nor draw off his cuff at the bar, &c. nor many days following ' had he any feeling or use of his limbs, &c. The like we could prove of Mr. Paine's, the priest, tormenting, and divers others.' So far the cardinal.

Out of whom I shall add some few things more relating to the sufferings of the catholics in those days, cap. 3. p. 38. He complains of 'the infinite spoil of catholic men's goods, honours and liberty, by robbing them for receiving priests, hearing mass, retaining catholic 'school-masters, keeping catholic servants, mulcting them by 201. a month, (which, by their cruel account, they make thirteen score a ' year) for not repairing to their service; by which a number of antient gentlemen fall to extremity, &c.' He adds, the taking of their dear children from them by force, and placing them, for their seduction, ' with heretics (which violence cannot be done, by the law of God, even to infidels) the burning of priests in the ears, the whipping and cutting off the ears of others, carrying some in their sacred vestments through the streets, putting our chaste virgins into infamous places appointed for strumpets; and other unspeakable villainies, not inferior to any of the heathenish persecutions.

Page 39. They have pined,' says he, and smothered in their filthy prisons, above thirty famous prelates; above forty excellent and ⚫ learned men; of nobles, gentlemen and matrons, a number; whose martyrdom is before God, as glorious, as if they had, by a speedy violent death, been dispatched. Every dungeon and filthy prison in England is full of our priests and brethren; and all provinces and $ princes christian, are witnesses of our banishment, &c.

Page 54 And yet this good writer" of the Execution of Justice in England," to colour over their cruelty towards catholic gentlemen 'setteth down the matter as if cases of conscience, of religion, or of the see apostolic, were but lightly punished, &c. when he and all the world knoweth, that they may, and do, by those wicked laws, dis

inherit, put to perpetual prison, and to death, divers of the laity. We

* refer them to the worshipful Mr. Tregian's case, who liveth in prison

so many years of alms, after the spoil and rapine of so goodly posses-

'sions. We refer them to the laymen put to death of late at Win-

'chester and Andover; to so many fled for religion, of the best nobility

and gentry, wholly sacked and spoiled of all they possessed; and so

many hundreds more, vexed, pillaged, and spoiled at home, so as not

' to have wherewithal to expel famine from themselves and families: and,

'which is yet more, we tell you, that there can never a catholic no-

bleman in the realm (if by any shew of religion he gives the enemy

"the least suspicion in the world of his good affection that way) be sure

of his life, lands and state one day for, by one false pretence and

calumny or other, they will entrap him, imprison him; and, in fine,

'they will overthrow him and his whole family, and transfer all his

honours, sometimes, to his chiefest enemies, &c.

In fine, page 1.

We appeal, says he, to the conscience and

knowledge of all the catholics and protestants within the realm, who,
' of their equity, will never deny, that most prisons in England are full
' at this day, and have been for divers years, of honourable and honest
persons, not to be touched with any treason or other offence in the
world, other than their profession and faith.' So far he. All which
points we find confirmed by many other testimonies; and this may
suffice, by way of preface; which, it is hoped, will give no offence to
our present governors, whose milder ways of proceeding with catholics,
they will ever thankfully acknowledge.